I'm not a goblin Frankenstein's monster.

"This is the one, it's enough." Xia Lin nodded in satisfaction.

In the end, the grocer sold him the long-suppressed manual, along with several basic tools that Xia Lin had selected based on the book's recommendations, for 5 silver coins.

A set of small peeling and cutting tools, several thick glass bottles with corks, a small jar of general-purpose antiseptic ointment, and other bottles and jars of tools.

The boss made a windfall, and Xia Lin felt like he'd gotten a great deal.

This expertise could be exchanged for countless 5-silver coins in the future.

Leaving the general store, Xia Lin carried her slightly bulging bag to the "Anvil and Fire" blacksmith shop.

The dwarven blacksmith Sindar took the short spear from Xia Lin, examined the scratches on the spear by the light of the furnace fire, and then sniffed the "powerful" stench of decay.

"No problem," Sinda said in a muffled voice, tossing the short spear into the weapons basket for repair.

"It's just that it got dirty. The blade needs to be re-grinded and polished, and these scratches need to be filled with molten metal."

This is much better than the few pieces of equipment you sent last time that were almost falling apart. Come pick it up in a few days.

Xia Lin thanked him, then remembered something and took out the pair of sharp chicken claws from his bag.

"Boss Sindar, take a look at this thing... Can it be used as equipment material? Or does it have any other value?"

Sinda picked up a paw, brought it close to her eyes to examine it carefully, and then scraped the tip of the paw with her finger.

"This is... the claw of some kind of avian monster with poisonous or corrosive properties? Where did you get it?"

Xia Lin briefly recounted his encounter with the mutated chicken-snake beast.

After listening, the dwarf blacksmith nodded: "A subspecies of chicken-snake beast with petrification ability... These claws are indeed interesting. They are made of hard material and have a naturally sinister nature."

Although it cannot be used as a base material for primary weapons, it is a good material to embed in handguards as a backup secondary weapon, or to grind it into powder and mix it into special arrowheads.

"Keep it here; it'll cover the cost of repairing the spear and maintaining the equipment."

Xia Lin readily agreed, knowing it would save on repair costs.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Two days later, at the Adventurers' Inn, in Xia Lin's room.

Outside the window, the town was bustling with a slightly lazy afternoon noise, but inside, there was only the rustling sound of turning pages of a handbook.

Xia Lin sat cross-legged on the bed, with the book "Beginner Adventurer's Guide to Material Gathering and Processing" open in front of him, and his tools and several empty jars next to him.

He was carefully identifying the specific uses of each tool according to the illustrations and instructions in the book, memorizing the storage requirements for containers of different materials, and reciting the key steps and taboos for processing common monster materials.

"The bone material needs to be initially soaked in a medicinal solution within two hours after detachment to lock in the internal magical structure..."

Leather products need to have their inner fascia and flesh thoroughly scraped off, and then be initially tanned with a mixture of salt and alum to prevent moths...

Venom glands must be isolated in sealed lead boxes or enchanted glass bottles to prevent evaporation or contamination of other items…

He was extremely engrossed in his studies, frequently picking up tools to demonstrate the cutting angles described in the book.

This matter directly relates to his actual gains when he ventures out on his own in the future, so he has no choice but to take it seriously.

In the past few days, apart from going downstairs to the hotel restaurant for meals, he spent almost all his time locked in his room with this manual and a bunch of tools.

This monotonous, focused, and goal-oriented learning rhythm vaguely reminded him of the days in his previous life when he buried himself in his studies for an important exam near graduation.

"This knowledge... really needs to be learned."

He rubbed his slightly sore eyes and closed the manual with a sigh.

Finally, Xia Lin completed two and a half days of collection practice.

Through intensive memorization and practice, he has mastered most of the basic content in the book.

At least when facing common monsters, he knows where to start, how to perform initial treatment, and what tools to use to preserve them.

As for those rare monsters recorded in the records, such as the Brain Demon from the Abyss, the Giant Balrog living in magma, and the Astral Worm that feeds on astral energy, etc.

It's more like a collection method imagined by the author, and he doesn't need it for the time being, so he just made a rough record of it.

The afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting warm, dappled light on the floor.

Xia Lin stretched and carefully put away the tools and manuals.

The appointed time was approaching, and he should head to the dwarf tavern to meet the druid Griffin and collect another share of the "reward" from this adventure.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Inside the tavern, the noise of people and the smell of alcohol mingled together.

The messenger, Little Tom, tiptoed and handed a slip of paper with a special wax seal to a one-eyed adventurer.

He completed the last errand he had to run for the day.

"Thanks, kid."

The one-eyed adventurer took the note, stuffed it into his pocket without even looking at it, and a few copper coins, still warm from his body, jingled as they fell onto the oak table.

Little Tom quickly gathered up the coins and carefully placed them into the worn-out leather purse at his waist.

"Clatter..." The newly added copper coins collided with the silver coins he had previously saved, making a soft, soothing sound.

The sound also caused two drunkards next to them to subconsciously squint their eyes, their murky gazes lingering for a moment on the bulging little money pouch.

Little Tom, oblivious to the stares, happily squeezed out of the tavern.

The evening breeze was cool on his face, but it couldn't dispel the fervor in his heart.

He quietly weighed the money pouch in his hand, quickly calculating in his mind: "Two silver coins, fifteen copper coins... that's enough for a decent family to live comfortably for a month in the countryside!"

He could almost see the happy smile on his mother's face when she received the remittance.

Oh, by the way, in your last letter, my sister seemed to have mentioned the berry desserts covered in icing in town.

"I'll send the money to my mother later. And while I'm at it... I'll buy a bag of those berry pastries so my mother and sister can try some!"

Immersed in the satisfaction of earning a living and a little happiness for his family through his own labor, little Tom's steps became lighter.

However, the boy, lost in his dreams of the future, was unaware that as he left the relatively bright porch of the tavern and walked into the gradually darkening street, two malevolent figures had already crept up from the shadows in the corner.

"Boss, aren't you going to make a move? This kid's all alone, he doesn't have any help."

A skinny thug licked his lips, his eyes flashing with the impatience and greed typical of gamblers.

"Let's finish him off quickly, grab the money, and hurry back to Daddy's casino to try and win it all back! I feel like our luck is about to change tonight!"

The person he called "boss" was a taller thug with a scar on his face.

The scarred thug was relatively calmer. He glared at his companion and lowered his voice: "What's the rush? Can't you see there's still someone on this street?"

Let's wait until he turns into that stinky street ahead! Let's do it cleanly, leave no trace, to avoid trouble later.

"Okay! I'll listen to the boss!"